Utah
Utah Jazz 2025 NBA Draft Profile: Liam McNeeley
The Utah Jazz have four selections, 5, 21, 43, and 53, in the June 25th NBA Draft. Because of this, they’ll be able to cast a wide net of players that they could select to add to their team next season.
That has led to an exciting and busy time for fans as we wade through the waters and search for who the team could select. Next up on our list is Liam McNeeley, the forward from Connecticut who could surprisingly be available at 21.
Stats: 14.5 points, 6.0 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 0.6 steals, 0.2 blocks, 38.1% FG, 31.7% 3P, 86.6% FT
Draft Range: Middle to late first round
A year ago, I pleaded for the Jazz to go up and get a different UConn Husky in Stephon Castle. 12 months later, the Jazz could have a different player from Dan Hurley’s team fall right into their laps with their second pick in the first round.
McNeeley is a big wing standing at 6’8 and 215 pounds. Your opinion of him likely comes down to how you view his shot. Billed as an elite shooter, McNeeley shot under 32% from deep on the year despite his reputation. On top of that, his athletic limitations led to struggles within the arc as well.
I do believe in McNeeley as a shooter. His form is picturesque, he has a quick release, he shot nearly 87% from the charity stripe, and his reputation as a knock-down shooter all give me confidence in him becoming a spacing weapon at the next level.
While the shot is the main draw to McNeeley, he’s more than just a shooter. He’s a smart passer with the upside to operate as a high feel connector or secondary playmaker as he develops. While I don’t see him turning into a high-usage guy, he’s intelligent and makes winning plays for his team offensively.
McNeeley is also a solid rebounder for a wing. Because of his above-average rebounding and size, I wonder if McNeeley will be at his best as a floor-spacing power forward at the next level. Some of the higher-end outcomes I can see for McNeeley would be Nets forward Cam Johnson and former Jazzman Bojan Bogdanovic.
Both Johnson and Bogdanovic make their money as floor spacers. They’re the same height as McNeeley, have similar athletic limitations, and are not heralded for their defense.
Speaking of defense, I wouldn’t say it’s a strength for McNeeley. His steal and block numbers in college were startlingly low. He doesn’t possess the foot speed to stay in front of drivers, and, while he is tall, his 6’8 wingspan isn’t impacting many plays.
Overall, if McNeeley is available at 21, he could certainly be in play for the Jazz. A projectable shooter, McNeeley will need to become more reliable and consistent from deep, but NBA guards should manufacture easier looks for him. If he does enough elsewhere, he could carve out a long NBA career.
More Jazz Draft Content
Utah
Here’s who will lead Utah Valley University as its next president
Jon Anderson will be charged with moving the Orem school forward following the death of conservative commentator Charlie Kirk on campus last year.
(Bethany Baker | The Salt Lake Tribune) Incoming UVU President Jon Anderson poses for a photo with his family after an event announcing his selection at Utah Valley University in Orem on Friday, July 17, 2026.
Utah
Beaver County residents set up thousands of sandbags ahead of flashfloods
BEAVER COUNTY, Utah — A massive community effort is underway as volunteers and Beaver County crews distribute thousands of sandbags to protect homes from the potential path of floodwaters.
After the Cottonwood Fires, residents have been waiting for weeks for relief to come in the form of rain, though officials now warn it may come all at once with an increased risk of flooding and debris flow.
Emergency Service Director Les Whitney believes that the fire has left plenty of debris to bring trouble for residents.
“We got a lot of water. We’re bringing debris with it, so tree branches, tree limbs, logs, lots of different size firewood, and that’s all in the creeks. We’re worried about that plugging up our bridges and stuff, so we have heavy equipment and excavators located in strategic places so that we can keep those bridges open,” said Whitney.
An estimated 140 homes and condominiums were spared from the flames, but remain in the paths of floodwaters.
Residents can also pick up sandbags at the Beaver County Sheriff’s Office or at the Beaver County Rodeo Fairgrounds.
Utah
Utah man arrested again for allegedly abusing dog twice in three months
EAGLE MOUNTAIN — An Eagle Mountain man currently on pretrial release in 4th District Court who is accused of abusing his dog has been arrested again for allegedly punching the same animal.
Keith Reaves Davis, 43, was booked into the Utah County Jail on Wednesday for investigation of aggravated cruelty to an animal.
Utah County sheriff’s deputies were called Wednesday afternoon to a grocery store on a report that a man was beating his dog after it had gotten off its leash and was stopped by a bystander, according to a police booking affidavit.
“I reviewed security camera footage from the grocery store, and an individual matching the description of the suspect was seen holding the dog in the air by one paw and repeatedly striking the dog on the right hind leg area. I observed the male strike the dog several times before dropping the dog from approximately 1-2 feet. The strikes appeared to be as hard as the male could hit,” the arresting deputy wrote in the affidavit. “The dog did not cry out or whimper as if the dog was accustomed to the abuse.”
When questioned, Davis “admitted to striking the dog because it was not behaving,” the affidavit states.
An animal control officer who responded to the scene to take custody of the dog noted it was the same dog he had taken from Davis exactly three months earlier during another animal abuse investigation.
In that case, Davis was charged in 4th District Court with aggravated cruelty to an animal, a class A misdemeanor; and public intoxication, a class C misdemeanor, after deputies received a tip from a neighbor that a dog was being abused at Davis’ home, according to charging documents. When questioned, Davis “acknowledged hitting his dog as punishment,” the charges state.
Deputies also reviewed videos that the neighbor had filmed. The neighbor told investigators “there was blood from the dog on the ground of the garage and (the neighbor) can hear the dog screaming as if it’s being hurt. Deputies got the videos from the (neighbor) and you can hear very loudly the dog screaming and crying with a lot of loud banging noises. In one of the videos, you can hear the dog sounding like it is being choked by a collar and is grasping for air,” a police booking affidavit states.
Davis’ next court hearing in the April case is scheduled for July 28.
In their latest booking report, sheriff’s deputies note that they “believe further harm will be inflicted on this dog if it is released back to the male a second time,” and have recommended the dog not be returned to Davis.
The Key Takeaways for this article were generated with the assistance of large language models and reviewed by our editorial team. The article, itself, is solely human-written.
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